


Leave Me Cold

by krityan



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, Minor Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-20 23:14:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15544317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krityan/pseuds/krityan
Summary: Set in the Episode Ignis alternate ending--The astrals aren't particularly pleased that their thousand year old plan to destroy the scourge has been derailed. It's always been the responsibility of the Oracle to guide fate in the right direction, so the gods offer Lunafreya a second chance to put Noctis on the right path, and save the world as it was intended to be saved.





	Leave Me Cold

“The king has gone astray.” 

Bahamut’s voice. There wasn't much otherwise that cut through the ebb and flow of empty that otherwise filled this space, and Luna was becoming more and more used to being awoken by his proclamations. 

dThe Draconian reminded her of Regis, in many ways. It was as though he occupied some idealized space that the king had always tried to mold himself after. But for all the grandeur, they seemed the same when he spoke. The tired tones, the mourning that colored every word. 

Luna let herself stir slowly. It took time, whenever she was called like this. The Astrals each had their palaces in this place, that seemed to form around Luna whenever she was summoned. She had been fascinated by the lights spinning together into corporeal things when she’d first come here-- when it had been brief visions and cryptic messages. Before she had died. Now she occupied this empty space too, and time was all she had left to savor. 

She could feel the shift in gravity, the sheer presence around her of the Astrals and the firm pressure of hard ground beneath her feet. Bahamut’s domain, then. A cold palace, built all from tall lines and hard metals. 

“The oracle completed her task,” Shiva’s voice cut harshly, “this no longer concerns her destiny.”

There was something satisfying about the silence that fell when Luna strode forward. Her shoes tapped quiet echoes into the black marble of the floor, and she kept the rhythm steady. She’d always been proud of her presence; the slope of her shoulders and curve of her back alone were enough to tell the world who she was. She folded her hands softly in front of her, and slowly raised her head to face the Astrals who had summoned her. 

Only three of the Six were here. Bahamut on his throne. Shiva standing to his right. Leviathan, curled into endless, languid tangles at his left. She scoffed at Luna’s entrance, twisting until her head rose higher. “She forged the covenants, and they remain unfulfilled. It is her duty as much as the king’s.”

“All the prophecy required,” Luna’s voice rang clearly, nervous tension dissolving out of her chest as she spoke, “I have done, and given my life for.” The moment hung in the air. Luna pressed forward. “I trust in Noctis--”

“Your trust was misplaced, then.” Bahamut shook his head, dismissed the rest of her words with a slow wave of his hand. “He has abandoned the prophecy.”

“It is the oracle's role to ensure the king follow the path we require of him.” Leviathan’s voice was a smug echo. “Until the sacrifice is made, we hold him in debt.” 

“You must return, and lead the king again.” 

Luna froze. To see Noctis again, to make any of their childhood promises real again-- to return. “As a messenger?” It was impossible to keep the tremble of optimism out of her voice. 

Bahamut considered a moment, exchanged quiet conversation with Shiva, and paused once again contemplating Luna where she stood. “There have been few Oracles who served our will so diligently. We will allow you to return to your true self.”

Shiva’s voice lilted in softly, “You will have four days. Show the king what he must do.”

Luna bowed her head, started to speak to offer her thanks, to ask questions, anything at all before everything dissolved around her. The gentle warmth and light never reclaimed her, though, instead she sank into something thicker and darker. It crushed down into her lungs, pushing her under. 

-

Luna woke up gasping, her head spinning as she jolted forward. This was--? The Citadel. Nearly as it had been before the invasion. She recognized the room, it was one of the small apartments set aside for visiting dignitaries. She’d spent a single night in one before fleeing the city with the ring. It was darker now, everything filmed over in dust and gossamer. The hallways had echoed with conversations then, instead of this heavy silence. 

The smell of rain drifted in through the shattered window, bringing a deep chill, but signs of life as well. Voices, distant traffic, even the titter of bird calls. For all the grave concern of the Astrals, it all sounded surprisingly pleasant instead. Luna slid off the low couch she’d woken up on, took a few testing steps to adjust to this simple sensation of gravity again. There was something foreign about this body, as though it was almost her own. But the fingers were too long, the jaw felt too tight-- indescribable things. Still, it was here. In Eos again. She had some chance to make the differences she’d spent her life working towards. It was easy to let that confidence flow into her motions, carry her down the barely-familiar route to the main floors of the Citadel. 

“Hello?” She hadn’t made it far before she was lost, and had hardly moved beyond that before she’d heard footsteps. Calling out made the most sense-- it had to be some kind of clean-up effort, given the nearly-restored state of the hallway she’d found herself in. The odds of some unsavory group sweeping the floors and leaving paintings intact on the walls seemed too low. “Excuse me?” 

There wasn’t an answer. Just shuffling sounds, hushed whispers and, finally, a small child peeking their way around the corner. Their eyes narrowing in suspicion before ducking away again. They hadn’t quite made it out of sight again, leaning too-far forward on their hands as they consulted with some unseen companion. Finally, some conclusion reached, they scrambled to their feet and strode towards Luna. She nearly laughed at their bravado, smothering the sound with her best smile.

“Hello!” Luna knelt down and held out her hand. She was, admittedly, awful with children. She always did this, defaulting to how she acted with dogs when face-to-face with kids. “Are your parents around? I could use a little-”

“Papa!” The little girl cut her off with a yell. She was young, with sandy blonde hair plaited into pigtail braids that fell over her shoulders. “There’s a weirdo inside!”

Oh. Well that was just unnecessary. Luna rolled her shoulders back, fully prepared to defend her honor against this eight year old when someone-- ‘papa,’ presumably-- was hauled hand-first around the corner by another child.

Luna recognized him.

It wasn’t that they’d ever met. But there had been enough photos tucked into Noctis’ journal. Countless awkward selfies and smiling group photos. No amount of tired eyes and year-weighted shoulders could let her mistake exactly who this was. 

“Prompto?” How unbelievably perfect. No chasing each other from a distance; if her path could finally collide with Noctis’, then maybe all these prophecies could come true. If Prompto was here, Noctis couldn’t be far. The confusion on his face as soon as she said his name was plain. She raised her hands, laughed softly to diffuse, “We haven’t met, I’ve seen you in pictures.” 

His smile was nervous, but the kindness there shone through easily. He hung between words for a moment, and Luna could see him running the scenarios in his mind. It was clearly a relief when the little girl tugged hard on his jacket, giving him the out to stoop over and pick her up, buying a few distracted seconds. “Guess I’m flattered--” The girl whispered something in his ear, and he laughed out loud in response. “How’d you get up here, anyway, Miss...?” 

“Just got a little lost.” She let the word trail off, gestured a bit behind her. She was buying time now, too. It brought back memories of negotiations-- tense situations brokered between the powerful and the elite. Somehow, this was worse. “Sorry, I should have introduced myself first, it’s Stella.” She hadn’t used the pseudonym since she was a child, it came to mind almost fondly now. She bowed politely, more of a nod if anything.

“Great!” Prompto’s posture was already relaxing, the strain settling out of his voice. “This little lady,” he hefted the girl in his arms, bouncing her into the air and drawing out a cascade of giggles, “is Aura. Says you owe her for rescuing you.”

Aura blushed deep red and buried her face into Prompto’s neck. Prompto laughed, hugged her a little closer and gestured across the hallway. “C’mon, I’ll take you back to the main floor. It’s like a maze in here.” 

Luna followed along, grateful. The sun was breaking through the clouds now-- not exactly a sight she’d expected to see here. Without fulfilling the prophecy, it should be impossible. The scourge had completely overtaken the sun, Shiva had told her that much. 

“It’s pretty amazing, right?”

She hadn’t meant to stop and stare. Prompto’s voice was soft, rising with as much awe as Luna felt at the warmth on her skin. “How?” 

“Noctis.” Prompto shrugged, as though that was an adequate enough answer. “He said he wanted to find a way for everyone.”

Luna nodded. This was why she was here, after all. To be the guiding hand of the Astrals once again. To find where things had gone wrong. To make sense of why Noctis had abandoned his path. She had a duty here and-- it was making less and less sense. 

“It took a while, had a lot of false starts but we’re getting there.” Prompto was beaming now. “Hey,” his smile turned mischievous in an instant, every inch the younger man she knew from Noctis’ letters, “you want to meet him?”

Luna nearly tripped. It felt like something shattering in her chest, all the anticipation she hadn’t even realized she was still carrying exploding at once. She tried to swallow it back; she’d learned this. She had to remove herself from this equation, there was so much more to consider.

 

“If I know Noct,” Prompto seemed near-oblivious to the hard thump of Luna’s heartbeat, the too-intense hum of her pulse drowning out other sounds, “he’s dodging the Glaive briefing out in the gardens.” He set Aura down, and crouched down in front of her, bouncing on his heels, “Think he’s taking a nap?”

Aura crossed her arms. “Probably.”

“Think he took his best nap-buddy with ‘im?”

“Yeah.” It was obviously a familiar game.

“Think you can find them fast because I think,” Prompto grinned up at Luna, “someone would be pretty excited to see Umbra. Wouldn’t you, Miss Stella?”

Luna nodded. She hadn’t even realized tears had gathered in the corners of her eyes until she blinked them free. “That sounds wonderful, let’s go.”

Maybe there was more to consider than she thought.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Shedding Grace zine-- a Luna-centric fanzine published July 2018. 
> 
> Even in a story about Luna for a book about Luna, I can't resist the idea that Prompto would adopt just an ungodly amount of children during those 10 years. Every nif child he could find, giving them all the best home he can.


End file.
